From Student Interest Groups to the Student Government to The Gazelle, entering NYUAD as a first year was intense, especially when talking to upper class individuals who all live wildly different lives that each take a slice from what the school has to offer. It gets a little overwhelming, to say the least. Especially for those who have never had a job before, along with the major workload that comes with pursuing a degree, student assistantships can feel a bit daunting. Since getting a campus job is now a priority for many students, here’s a look into some students’ experiences with their work.

The rattling effects of the change in the student stipend echo through the decisions that students make throughout their four years here; in an attempt to recuperate, both the faculty and students are attempting to fill in the gaps of the student experience that it has left. Unsurprisingly, many have turned to campus jobs as means of getting the cash needed to live in the world beyond that of the campus.

Janine Contreras, Class of 2022, a Residential Assistant and social media coordinator for the Wellness Center, explained when discussing motivations for getting a job, “The first motivating factor is money, especially with the stipend situation now. Until my sophomore year, we used to have real cash and that really helped me and my family a lot.”

The need for cash has pushed up student assistantships as a priority on many people's lists, while also limiting their ability to be selective about the jobs they take. Matab Mashta, Class of 2025, who has both a campus job as a Front of the House Usher in the Arts Center and an off campus internship, argued that if not for the changes, she would have applied for a campus job another time.

However, the reasons for getting a campus job are just as diverse as the jobs themselves. Aidan Alme, Class of 2024, a peer tutor for the Writing Center, said, “When I came into college, I had a lot of friends, especially friends who were not familiar with writing, who went to school systems where it’s mostly STEM and so I’d help them out [...] a friend said you should do this for money, and I was like this sounds fun,” he added. “When you read other people's writing you learn a lot too, and so it's just a way to give back especially since I am a native English speaker too.”

Others use jobs as a tool to help plan out their futures post graduation. “I want to work while I study so I get an idea about what I want to do and direct my studies,” Matab explained.

Wanting a job and actually getting one are different things. While most find the process straightforward, some students argue that factors like self doubt and a lack of confidence are sometimes obstacles to applying for a student assistantship.

Contreras told me that she questioned herself: “Am I really qualified for this job? What am I going to contribute as an RA? But it's just a matter of jumping into things before you are ready.”

About the filtering system on Handshake, Alme said, “It’s a really awful platform, and it is really hard to find things.”

Emma Miklášová, Class of 2025, who works for the Health Center, claimed that when she got rejected from other jobs, the employers simply did not bother replying to the application or just left her hanging.

Students also highlighted that there seems to be a running issue with the speed at which jobs are posted on Handshake before their deadline. This not only decreases the opportunities available for students but also gives applicants limited time, sometimes less than 24 hours, to scrape together resumes, statements of interest, essays and portfolios.

Once you do get a job, there tends to be a great change of routine that most students go through. A sizable chunk of your day must now be dedicated to a demanding task that might be intimidating and may take away from your student experience. Matab shared that, “Sometimes I see people on my Instagram, people hanging out and stuff, and I'm like no because I am in my dorm, since I have to study or do work.”

Alme shared similar sentiments, “Sessions tend to be during the day in between my classes, times when I would usually be doing homework or other things.” It can be kind of taxing working with another student on their essays because I know that when I write I want it to be perfect, and you kind of feel the same way working with another student — like you want this to go well.”

That does not account for general occupational hazards — as Contreras shared: “As an RA, you get woken up at like 3 a.m.”

In a true demonstration of the student body's abilities to survive, students agree on the importance of staying organized. While the work continues to be difficult, there are tons of ways of staying caught up, including Google Calendar, Trello and Notion, all of which can be used to help maintain a social life and consistent academic performance as well as juggle multiple jobs.

“In the beginning, it is quite difficult because you have to find your footing, in terms of it being a new semester and you have all of these new commitments,” explained Contreras. “You don’t know which ones to prioritize over the others, but then, I think, as the semester progresses, you find your footing.” ”

Once the balance is achieved, we can truly see how students thrive with assistantships and how having a campus job has pushed them to hone their skills. “So it can be a bit much,” Alme expressed. “But on the flip side of it, you're doing something [where] there are no stakes for you and it can often be fun especially if you like writing.”

Contreras chose not to separate the “ordinary student experience” from work. “The benefits of having a job for my overall student experience is better just because I learn so much as a person, and hone skills that you do not learn in the classroom like connecting with people or being creative,” she explained.

When I initially took on this piece, I imagined it to have a much more pessimistic tone; the stipend was a huge loss to many, at a college where many of us are already drowning in work. Instead, I now see campus jobs as a means of freedom and potential and not just as another thing that you must do because of need.

And so I leave you with this quote from Contreras: “For people who are interested in assistantships but are hesitant because they are intimidated by the workload or insecure about how qualified they are, I say: just go for it. Because number one, what could go wrong? If even it is not the right fit or it does not fit your interest, at least now you know!”